The following is an excerpt from Alicia Eler's new book Selfie Generation: How Our Self-Images Are Changing Our Notions of Privacy, Sex, Consent and Culture, which comes out on Nov. 7 (Skyhorse Publishing, $24.99). In the book, Eler, an LA Weekly contributor, takes a closer look at the newfangled phenomenon...

Six years ago, Whitney Cummings was on the brink of major mainstream success. Two shows she created — Two Broke Girls, co-created with Michael Patrick King, and her eponymous sitcom Whitney — had just premiered on major networks, thanks to early success doing stand-up on late-night TV and appearing on...

There's a strong case to be made that the modern stand-up comedy club, a staple of the nightlife landscape, was invented by Budd Friedman when he opened the Improv in Manhattan in 1963, followed by the L.A. outpost in 1975. And like many important inventions, the whole thing practically happened by...